Hands-On Activities

We have curated lots of hands-on activities and experiences for you to try. No tech knowledge or skill is required. And we’ve set aside special blocks of time for you to play, learn and get inspired while you’re at the Summit………

Build a Bot Workshop

You’ve seen Amazon’s Alexa, and you’ve talked to Siri on your phone. This is your chance to build your very own chatbot, from scratch. Absolutely zero programming or tech skills are required. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have built an artificially-intelligent companion that you can bring home with you and share with your friends. 

Happy Hour With Scientists

After our main sessions conclude on the first day, we’re sending you out for drinks with scientists. You will have the opportunity to visit and meet with R&D Labs around New York City. You’ll have snacks and drinks with scientists, inventors and technologists who are working on cutting edge research. (Pre-registration for some of the labs is required.) A complete list of participating labs will be available this fall.

Say Hello To Watson

You’ve seen IBM’s Watson beat a Jeopardy champion, but did you know that Watson has been assisting doctors diagnose their patients? Within the next five years, Watson will assist with every important decision we make, whether it’s business or personal. This is your opportunity to meet Watson now and to learn about artificial intelligence and the future of computing.

WNYC’s TalkBox: A Digital Confessional

We invite you to take a few moments alone in WNYC’s repurposed NYC phone booth. You’ll pick up the phone, listen to a question about the future and share your ideas and thoughts. Think of it as a digital confessional. Sessions will be recorded and anonymized, and they will be shared with WNYC’s global audience and on the Summit website as well as across social media channels.

Food From The Future

In the future, will we harvest our food…or culture it? You will have the opportunity to taste new kinds of foods: drinks and snacks that have been engineered by scientists, tested in labs and developed with the future of our planet in mind.

Virtual Reality Arcade

Join us in our Virtual Reality Arcade, and experience the next-generation of VR. You will have the opportunity to explore how your interpretations and perspectives shift in the real world as a result of morphing your own presence in VR.